Area Schools: Here’s What Is Closed And What Opens Today
October 29, 2020
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Escambia County Schools
Escambia County public schools will be closed on Thursday due to Hurricane Zeta. All after school activities for Escambia County School have been canceled for Wednesday. The district said the closure will allow time for the assessment of power outages, roadway accessibility and any facility damage.
“District damage assessments cannot be conducted until daylight. Completion of damage assessments are necessary to ensure the safety of students and staff. Normal operations are expected to resume on Friday,” Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said Wednesday.
University of West Florida
All UWF locations closed at 3 p.m. Wednesday and will reopen at 9 a.m. on Thursday. All courses, including online classes, are canceled, and all virtual or in-person meetings are canceled during the time period.
Pensacola State College
Pensacola State College closed at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Online classes will proceed as scheduled. All college activities will resume at 7:30 a.m Thursday.
Pensacola Christian Academy
Pensacola Christian Academy will be closed on Thursday.
SANTA ROSA COUNTY
The last report we received from Santa Rosa County Schools, they were set to be open on Thursday.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY ALABAMA
Escambia County, Alabama, schools will be closed on Thursday.
FEMA Centers To Help With Hurricane Sally Assistance Are Closed By Hurricane Zeta
October 29, 2020
FEMA mobile sites in Escambia County are closed through Thursday due to Hurricane Zeta.
The sites, which help individuals apply for assistance to recover from Hurricane Sally, are set to reopen on Friday.
The disaster assistance registration centers are located at:
- Escambia County Equestrian Center, 7750 Mobile Highway
- Marie K. Young Community Center, 6405 Wagner Road
- Lexington Terrace Community Center, 700 S. Old Corry Field Road, Pensacola
Once they reopen on Friday, the centers will be open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and are staffed with FEMA personnel who can assist with registration and answer questions about disaster-assistance programs.
Hundreds Of Gulf Power, EREC Worker Responding To Hurricane Zeta Outages
October 29, 2020
Gulf Power Company and Escambia River Electric Cooperative collectively had over 2,000 workers staged by Wednesday to respond to Hurricane Zeta power outages.
GULF POWER
Gulf Power lineworkers began responding to power outages as soon as it was safe to do so, which is usually if winds are under 35 mph.
A storm restoration workforce of more than 2,300 strong, including approximately 1,000 Gulf Power personnel and contractors and an additional 1,300 lineworkers, tree trimmers and support personnel – the vast majority from sister company Florida Power & Light – were in place by Wednesday to immediately begin the process of restoring power from outages caused by Zeta. Gulf Power had additional FPL teams ready to travel to quickly ramp up restoration efforts.
“We have a proven restoration plan, and we want our customers to know that our commitment to serve you is unwavering – just as it has been every time severe weather has threatened our area,” said Marlene Santos, president of Gulf Power
ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Escambia River Electric Cooperative employees were prepared or the possibility of widespread outages.
Crews from Clay Electric Cooperative in Keystone Heights, Florida, were in place by Wednesday afternoon and ready to assist EREC linemen as soon as storm conditions subside.d Additional crews are avaialble to respond if needed.
“Wind and rain may bring down trees and power lines as Zeta moves inland. With safety as our top priority, we are prepared to respond to whatever impacts our area may sustain from the storm,” EREC CEO Ryan Campbell said.
Great Fall Weather! Lows In The 40s With A North Wind Tonight
October 29, 2020
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Clear, with a low around 48. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 67. North wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 49. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 72. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. East wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 64. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 43. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 68.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 72.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 53.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76.
TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH ESCAMBIA
October 28, 2020
THIS WARNING IS NOW EXPIRED.
Tornado Warning for…
Southwestern Escambia County in south central Alabama…
Northwestern Escambia County in northwestern Florida…
* Until 500 PM CDT.
* At 436 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 10 miles northwest of Molino, or 15 miles south of
Atmore, moving north at 40 mph.
HAZARD…Tornado.
SOURCE…Radar indicated rotation.
IMPACT…Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed.
Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree
damage is likely.
* This dangerous storm will be near…
Bratt around 455 PM CDT.
Atmore around 500 PM CDT.
Hurricane Zeta Continuing To Move Inland
October 28, 2020
THIS IS NOW AN ARCHIVED STORY THAT IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED.
At 10 p.m., Hurricane Zeta max winds were still at 80 mph with higher gusts. ]The center was located northeast of Hattiesburg, Mississippi and moving to the northeast at 31 mph.
A wind gust of 70 mph was reported at the weather station located at Northview High School shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday.
An even faster northeastward motion is expected overnight through Thursday, then a rapid east-northeastward motion is
anticipated through Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Zeta will move into southern Alabama soon and then move quickly across the southeastern eastern United States through Thursday before emerging offshore of Mid-Atlantic coast late Thursday.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles . Mobile Regional Airport recently reported sustained winds of 48 mph and a wind gust of 91 mph.
Zeta made landfall Wednesday afternoon with winds of 110 mph near Concordia, Lousiana.
The latest detailed information on Zeta is in the graphis on this page. These graphics will update automatically.
Local Forecast: Rain, Storms, Tropical Storm Warning, Tornado Watch
October 28, 2020
TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT. TORNADO WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT.
For the latest on the tropics and Zeta, click here.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tonight: Tropical storm conditions expected. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Thursday: Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 77. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 49. West wind around 10 mph.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 66. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 47. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 72. East wind around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 54. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. North wind around 10 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 62.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 41.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 68.
Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 46.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 72.
Hundreds Of Gulf Power, EREC Workers Staged To Respond To Hurricane Zeta Outages
October 28, 2020
Gulf Power Company and Escambia River Electric Cooperative have hundreds of workers staged to respond to power outages caused by Hurricane Zeta.
GULF POWER
Gulf Power stands ready to respond to any potential power outages as Hurricane Zeta nears the Gulf Coast. Even as weather bands move through later today, lineworkers will respond to power outages and restore power as long as it is safe to do so, which is usually if winds are under 35 mph.
A storm restoration workforce of more than 2,300 strong, including approximately 1,000 Gulf Power personnel and contractors and an additional 1,300 lineworkers, tree trimmers and support personnel – the vast majority from sister company Florida Power & Light – are staged to immediately begin the process of restoring power from outages caused by Zeta. If the storm’s impact proves greater than currently anticipated, Gulf Power has additional FPL teams ready to travel to quickly ramp up restoration efforts.
“We will continue to work throughout the storm as long as it’s safe, and once the storm has passed, our team will work around the clock until all customers have power again,” said Marlene Santos, president of Gulf Power. “We have a proven restoration plan, and we want our customers to know that our commitment to serve you is unwavering – just as it has been every time severe weather has threatened our area.”
ESCAMBIA RIVER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Escambia River Electric Cooperative employees are on emergency alert storm status and preparing for the possibility of widespread outages.
Crews from Clay Electric Cooperative in Keystone Heights, Florida, are also staged and ready to assisted EREC linemen as soon as storm conditions subside. Additional crews will be on standby to respond if needed.
“Wind and rain may bring down trees and power lines as Zeta moves inland. With safety as our top priority, we are prepared to respond to whatever impacts our area may sustain from the storm,” EREC CEO Ryan Campbell said.
ECAT Will Resume Normal Service Thursday Except Century And Pensacola Beach
October 28, 2020
ECAT (Escambia County Area Transit will return to regular service on Thursday, except for routes 60 (Century) and 61A/B (temporary Pensacola Beach). Those routes will be delayed and begin at 8 a.m., due to potential debris removal. UWF Trolleys will begin service at 9 a.m.
Here Are Hurricane Zeta Closures In Escambia County
October 28, 2020
A list of Hurricane Zeta closures in Escambia County are listed below. Check back for additions and updates.
- All Escambia County schools are closed on Thursday.
- All UWF locations close at 3 p.m. Wednesday and will reopen at 9 a.m. on Thursday. All courses, including online classes, are canceled. All virtual or in-person meetings are canceled.
- Pensacola State College closed Wednesday and set to open at 7:30 a.m Thursday.
- Pensacola Christian Academy is closed on Thursday.
- All early voting locations in Escambia County will reopen at 11 a.m. Thursday.
- FEMA Mobile Registration Centers in Escambia County will be closed on Thursday.
- City of Pensacola offices and facilities are scheduled to reopen normal business hours on Friday.
- Century town hall is scheduled to reopen at 10 a.m. Thursday.
- At NAS Pensacola, only mission essential personnel were required to report for duty after 1 p.m. Wednesday until further notice. The base is in condition COR I. No evacuations are ordered.
- The Perdido Key and Johnson Beach areas of the Gulf Islands National Seashore are closed.
- The Council on Aging of West Florida adult daycare i
- The Escambia County Tax Collector will reopen at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. Online services remain available.